Wayback Wednesdays 12 - Generations: 2025
by The Real JL Rules
Summary: Based on the 2001 animated series. The Batman faces the end of his run, while Talia plans Wonder Woman's end - once and for all. Meanwhile, a lonely Hawkwoman gets a surprising visitor... Originally written in 2003.
1. Chapter 1

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

THE STORY SO FAR…

Superman/Clark Kent  
Age (approx): Mid 50s (age slowed)  
The Man of Steel continues to protect Metropolis and the world from the forces of evil, and is the leader of the Justice League. As well as Superboy and Supergirl, he and Lois Lane have another son, Jimmy.

Batman/Bruce Wayne  
Age (approx): Mid to late 50s  
Batman still patrols the streets of Gotham, accompanied by his sons Robin and Nightwing, and his daughter Batgirl. He is still happily married to Diana.

Wonder Woman/Diana Wayne  
Age (approx): N/A  
Now comfortable in Man's World, Diana is no longer naïve and unsure of the world. Happily married to Batman, she is currently offduty, as she is looking after their five children, and is pregnant with twins.

Green Lantern/John Stewart  
Age (approx): Late 50s (age slowed by power ring)  
No longer in contact with his home side of the galaxy, Green Lantern patrols the outer reaches of the galaxy, and is known far and wide as the Guardians' greatest officer.

J'onn J'onzz/John Jones  
Age (approx): N/A  
The last Green Martian alive continues to work at the New York Police Department as Detective John Jones, and is a well-respected officer. He has also started to date Human women, but so far all relationships have ended. He is still a member of the Justice League, but no longer feels uncomfortable or out of place.

Hawkwoman/Shayera Hol  
Age (approx): Late 40s  
Returning to the Justice League, Shayera's husband Kator was killed in action, and she now lives at the Watchtower looking after her three children. She is trying to be positive, but she is often depressed and sad. Her state is not helped by the fact that Megan West, daughter of the late Flash, hates her.

Superboy/Joel Kent  
Age (approx): 17  
Hoping to take over from his father one day, Joel continually takes chances, eventhough his powers are about a quarter of Superman's. He acts like a ladies' man, but is really shy and awkward around girls.

Supergirl/Lara Kent  
Age (approx): 15  
Taking over from Kara, Lara hopes to live upto the legacy of Superman, and strives to make him proud.

Robin/Thomas Wayne  
Age (approx): 21  
Batman's oldest son has become a skilled vigilante. He often operates alone, but still feels he has a long way to go before he becomes as good as his father. He has feelings for Megan West, but feels he is too old for her. He is also the leader of the Titans.

Nightwing/Clark Wayne  
Age (approx): 17  
Given the Nightwing identity when Dick Grayson retired, Clark is part of Batman's team.

Batgirl/Grace Wayne  
Age (approx): 19  
Grace often works alongside her younger brother Nightwing.

Wonder Girl/Faith Wayne  
Age (approx): 21  
Batman and Diana's oldest daughter, Faith has trained to become an expert warrior, and hopes to make her mother proud. She is dating John Stewart Jr., son of John Stewart and Shayera Hol.

Hawkgirl/Tarran Hol  
Age (approx): 20  
The daughter of John Stewart and Shayera Hol, Tarran's wings have grown strong enough for her to take over her mother's superheroic identity. She has feelings for Superboy, but considers him too immature for an adult relationship.

PART 1

The small group huddled through the darkness, trying to keep as quiet as possible. The reached the far wall, and put their bags on the floor. They began to remove various objects from the bags, including welders, goggles and batons.

Two of them revealed a box and carried it over to the wall. They pushed it against the surface, and it stuck on magnetically.

They began the timer to blow the vault door.

"So, you think these are tourists?"

Nightwing looked at Robin. "What makes you say that?"

Robin shrugged. "They obviously don't know that Gotham is protected by the Bat Family."

Batman smiled, and put his hand on his oldest son's shoulder. "There's nine of them. You take the two on the right, Nightwing will take the two on the left, and I'll take the others."

"Why don't we just divide them by three?" Robin asked.

"The other five are too big for you."

Nightwing looked at his father. "We're stronger than YOU…"

"You're not experienced enough," Batman said. "If I don't let Robin take more than two, I'm not going to let you…"

"Come on, Batman," Robin said. "We can take them. Why don't you just stay here and watch?"

Batman was silent.

"We've done it before," the Boy Wonder continued. "Remember when you and Mom went on vacation, and left us on our own? We can do it."

Batman sighed. "Fine. But I'll be watching."

His sons high-fived eachother. "Boya! Let's go!" Nightwing said.

"After you," his brother said.

"Oh no, I insist."

Batman held them both by the scruff of the collars. "Just go."

Robin and Nightwing braced themselves. They then leapt off the balcony, and flew into the air. "Let's give them a proper Gotham welcome," Robin said.

As his sons flew down on the burglars, Batman's smile widened. They were eager, yes. Headstrong. But they were excellent soldiers. He had spent years training all of his children the fine arts of crimefighting, and it made his heart warm to see his teachings come to fruition.

As three of the burglars reached for their guns, Robin dove down and grabbed them out of their hands. Meanwhile, Nightwing turned in mid-air and knocked down two with a flying kick. The others aimed their guns, but the two young crimefighters took to the air, using their flying ability they inherited from their mother to dodge the bullets. They then swooped down, and took out five of them with massive tackles.

Robin landed on the ground and ran to the burglar still guarding the bomb on the vault door. He aimed his rifle, but the Boy Wonder slapped it out of his hand effortlessly and threw him into another wall. As he investigated the bomb, another burglar approached him from behind. However, Robin threw his arm back, hitting him in the face without even looking.

His sons were stronger than normal Humans, another ability they had inherited from their mother. But Batman had spent hours training them to control their strikes, so that they never accidentally injured someone heavily. Watching them in action, you would not know that they had enhanced strength.

Nightwing punched another burglar in the face, as the last one ran past him, attempting to escape. Nightwing reached out to grab him, but missed him by inches. As the burglar ran off, Nightwing shrugged. "I'll get him in a minute." He then picked up the other burglar, and threw him against the wall.

Batman watched as the final burglar ran to the exit. He would make it outside before Nightwing would reach him.

Batman held out his arms, and leapt off the balcony. His cape grabbed the air, slowing his fall. He descended down in the burglar's path.

He landed infront of the burglar, feet from the door. The burglar stopped in his path, and his eyes widened. Batman began to walk upto him, and he stepped back. However, Batman grabbed him by the shoulder, and pulled his other arm back to punch him.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. His eyes widened, and his chest ached harder. He relaxed his grip on the burglar, and put his other hand to his body.

He took deep breaths… what was happening…?

His legs began to buckle, and his vision went blurry. He slowly sunk to the floor, the pain in his chest getting worse.

God… he was having a…

The burglar looked down at him, his feared expression turning to delight. He pulled his leg back, and kicked Batman in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Batman tried to lift his head, as everything went red… he made out someone standing above him… pulling something back…

The burglar kicked him again, right in the stomach. Batman gasped as the air left his body… when he needed it the most…

Robin pulled out the wire that controlled the detonation mechanism, and the bomb's timer stopped. He put his mini-welder back in his utility belt as Nightwing went upto him. "Taken care of the bomb?"

"Yeah," Robin said, turning around. "Where's…"

He froze.

He watched the figure on the floor, being taunted by the burglar. "Dad…" he whispered.

He flew across the room, as Nightwing turned and watched him go. His eyes widened as he saw where his brother was going.

The burglar pulled his leg back again, about to kick Batman in the stomach again. Suddenly, Robin grabbed him by the collar, and viciously threw him away. The burglar slammed against the wall and slumped to the ground, out cold.

Robin knelt down to his father, as Nightwing ran upto them. Robin put his hand on Batman's arm. "Dad… are you OK? Talk to us!"

Batman took slow, deep breaths, as he vaguely saw his two sons looking at him, worried expressions on the faces. "Take me… to the cave…"

/

The moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the bedroom. A figure say up in the bed, staring at the wall. Another figure sat in a chair by the bedside, inches from him.

"I'm not eating that," Bruce said, not moving his eyes from the wall.

Diana sighed. "Come on Bruce, you should eat something." She held out the bowl of porridge, the hotness not bothering her bare hands. "Just a bit. For me."

Bruce slowly turned his head. He looked down at the bowl and sighed. "Fine." Diana smiled lightly, and delicately placed the bowl on her husband's lap. She watched as he slowly took the spoon in his hand and lifted some of the food to his mouth.

Diana was amazed with herself how she was holding back her tears. When she had been woken by the ring tone of her direct link to the Batcave on her bedside table, she had not taken fully what she was being told. Clark was shouting at the other end, as Thomas drove the Batmobile. They were hysterical, yelling at her about an attack… but in her dazed state, she did not comprehend what they were talking about.

It was only when they got home, and she walked down the staircase to the cave… she realised what had happened. Her husband, the man she loved, the father of both her born and unborn children, her reason for being… was dying. He looked so weak, so fragile, as they lifted him out of the car and put him on the medtable. Bruce was breathing slowly and deeply… he could barely speak…

She had tried to remain strong, for her children, but she could not hold back the tears. She had cried silently as they watched over him, his breathing gradually returning to normal and his strength returning. By the time she had told the boys to go to bed – reluctantly – she had stopped crying, and had managed to keep calm as she took him upstairs to their room.

But seeing him like this… weak, in pain… made her heart ache. It was bound to happen sooner or later. He was getting older… he kept pushing himself…

She raised her arm and stroked his greying hair. "How do you feel?"

"No different from five minutes ago," Bruce gruffly replied. Diana knew he did not mean to be rude, but he hated feeling vulnerable. He found it hard to show weakness, but she could always see when he was in pain.

"Bruce…" she said quietly, "I've called Clark, I've told him we're not going to the meeting tomor…" She stopped, as the enormity of what happened sunk in. Her husband had had a heart attack. He had nearly died. She never would have seen him again. The thought of losing him scared her to death…

Tears began to run down her face. Bruce looked at her, concerned. "What is it?"

"You nearly died…" she whispered. "I nearly lost you…" She looked at him, then rested her head on his shoulder. She raised her arm, holding his neck, and delicately pulled him closer. She let out a sob, the tears running uncontrollably. "I love you…"

He returned the embrace, putting his hand to her back. "I love you too… I love you so much…"

"Please… don't do this to me again…" she breathed. "I couldn't take it… if I lost you…"

"I know," he said, looking at her. "I've been fooling myself."

Diana broke the embrace, and looked at him, frowning. "What…?"

"I thought I could carry on forever," he continued. "I thought… if I kept in shape, I could…" He paused, and looked back at the wall. "But I'm only Human."

"What are you talking about?" Diana said.

"I thought I'd die in action," Bruce said. "I never thought I'd live this long. Never thought I'd… find happiness. Even when the kids were born… I thought I could carry on. And when they became heroes themselves… and BETTER ones than me… I thought I could carry on. Thought… I was still needed…"

Diana leaned close, taking his hand in hers.

"But seeing them tonight… seeing them these past few months… years, even… they don't need me. I'm… in the way. I have nothing to contribute."

"Bruce," Diana said, "are…" She suddenly stopped, and winced. She held her stomach, the stress of the night and her pregnancy getting too much. Bruce looked at her, concerned. He put his hand to her stomach, comforting her as the pain passed.

"That's another reason," he said. "You don't deserve this. You need me, and I'm causing you pain…"

"I'm fine," she said. "You could never cause me pain. It's just… the effects of labour."

"All the pregnancies have been hard," he said. "Not as hard as the twins, maybe, but they've been more painful I'm sure than normal pregnancies. You passed out giving birth to Clark…"

"I'm fine," she repeated. "I haven't been in much pain recently…"

"How many attacks have you had today?" he asked.

"Bruce…"

"How many?"

She sighed. "Four."

Bruce looked down, and closed his eyes. "You haven't been in this much pain since Faith and Thomas. It must be the added stress of having twins…"

"Stop changing the subject," she said, taking his hand off her stomach and resting it on his lap. "This is about you, not me."

"Diana, you're all that matters to me," he said quietly, stroking her cheek. "I've been stubborn. You need me, and I'm still doing this…"

"You never missed a birth," Diana said, "and you've only missed a few birthdays…"

"I'm not going to miss anymore," he said sternly. "I have to devote myself to the important things."

"What are you saying?" she asked, knowing what the answer was.

Bruce looked at the wall, and took a deep breath. "The Batman is no more."

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 2

"How could I have been so STUPID?"

Clark Wayne held his Nightwing costume tight in his hand, then threw his arm out, throwing the suit into the air. It flapped away, and it hit the ground several feet away.

Thomas Wayne stood by the table, their sister Grace hovering by a few feet away. "Come on, Clark," he said, "it wasn't your fault."

Clark spun around and looked at him. "How can you say that? I let that guy go, and he made Dad have a heart attack! A HEART ATTACK! Dad almost DIED because I wasn't concentrating!"

Grace went upto him. "He doesn't blame you," she said. "It was a mistake…"

"Yeah, well, I seem to do a lot of those, don't I?" Clark spat. "Remember when I couldn't figure out Riddler's scheme that time? Or when I couldn't get the address of that burglary right, and the creep almost got away?"

"No one's judging you, Clark…" Faith said, turning in her chair at the Batcomputer. "We all make mistakes."

"Have YOU?" Clark asked. "Has Thomas? Give me one example of when Thomas almost got someone killed, or let someone go, or got Dad hurt?"

"Beating yourself up about this won't make things better," Thomas said.

"I'm not beating myself up," said Clark, "I'm saying things as they are! You lot have never messed up as much as me! It took me twice as long to learn all the stuff Mom and Dad taught us… I've never won a fight on my own… and we're supposed to be STRONGER than normal Humans. I can't do anything!"

Grace put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't be silly. You're great at thinking plans. All of our plans were thought of by you and Dad…"

"Strategy?" Clark said. "Yeah, that's a big help. Didn't help Dad tonight, did it?"

Thomas sighed, and looked at the corner of the room. Three-year-old Jason was sitting at a desk, doodling with crayons. "What's he still doing up?"

Faith looked over and shrugged. "Guess Mom forgot to put him to bed, taking care of Dad. I'll take him up."

"I'll come too," Thomas said. "I'm not in the mood for our brother feeling sorry for himself."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that anymore," Clark grumbled.

Everyone looked at him.

Clark looked at his costume on the floor, then turned around. "I quit."

He then walked towards the stairs, and slowly climbed up the steps. He disappeared out the doorway, leaving his brothers and sisters speechless in shock.

/

The room was full of warriors. All of them muscular, all of them highly-conditioned, all of them at the peak of physical condition.

They were all dead.

Talia looked at the bodies on the floor, all broken and bleeding. It had taken her less than five minutes to massacre twenty of her father's best men. Just as it had yesterday. And the day before that. And the day before that.

She cracked her knuckles, then went to the exit. She left the room, and the man stood before her. He began clapping politely. "Well done," he said.

Talia sighed. "It no longer brings me satisfaction. I want to progress."

"Of course," the man said. "Tomorrow I will give you thirty of my fighters."

"No," Talia said. "I want HER. I'm ready."

The man held his chin. "You've been training for ten years. Would a bit longer hurt?"

"Yes," said Talia. "I've waited long enough. I want her NOW."

The man turned around, and walked down the corridor. Talia followed close behind. "Are you sure your skills are good enough?"

"Stop trying to talk me out of it," Talia said. "I've taken the serums. I've trained. I've taken the baths. I'm ready."

"So you want to take your revenge," the man said, stopping his stride and turning to face her. "Are you sure you still want it?"

Talia put her hands on her hips. "Do you still want YOUR revenge?"

The man smiled. "Yes."

"Well then," Talia said. "I want to leave. Tomorrow."

"What do you need?"

"A jet. Poisons. Basic weapons."

"That all?"

"That's all," Talia said. "I want to kill her with my bare hands."

"Just keep your end of the bargain," the man said. "Bring back the other one."

"I will if I can," she said. "But my Beloved comes first."

The man narrowed his eyes. "You WILL. Full stop."

"This is MY mission," she said. "I'm bringing my Beloved. If I can get the other one, I will, but if I can't, I won't."

The man suddenly shot his hand out, and grabbed Talia by the throat. Talia's eyes widened, as she tried in vain to get free. "If you don't bring what I want back, I won't be happy. I don't care if you never see your 'Beloved' and never get the woman… you WILL bring back what I want. Do I make myself clear?"

Talia wheezed as he tightened his grip on her throat. "Yes…"

"Yes WHAT?"

"Yes… father…" she gasped.

He removed his hand, and she took deep breaths trying to get the air back into her body. "Good," he said. "Dinner will be at seven. I shall see you at the table presently." With that, he turned and walked off.

Talia watched him go. She only had to stay here one more night, then she would be gone.

Her Beloved would be hers again. The woman who stole him from her would be dead, and they would escape together, away from her father… away from the woman… away from everyone who tried to keep them apart.

It would be just him and her… and that was all she needed.

/

The meeting room was unusually quiet. Superman stood at the head of the table, his face solemn. "I begin with some very sad news."

The members of the Justice League looked at him, some knowing what he was going to say. Those who did not had confused expressions on their faces.

"You might be wondering why Batman and Diana aren't here today," Superman said. Over the past few years, Bruce had been attending more and more meetings, dropping his Dark Knight image slightly and being more of a team player. Although not everyone in the League knew his secret identity, they all knew he and Diana were a couple.

"Br… Batman… was injured last night in Gotham," Superman said slowly. "Badly. He's offduty for the foreseeable future."

There was a collective gasp from the room. Superman took a moment for the words to sink in. "At the moment, Diana is with him… and will be for as long as she sees fit."

"I can't believe it," Mr. Miracle said. "I mean, I know he was getting older… but… he's the Batman, y'know…?"

"Yeah," Green Lantern said. "How bad is he? How is he injured? Is he gonna die?"

Superman was silent. Everyone looked at him, expectant looks on their faces. He sighed. "His condition is not critical," he said. "But it will be awhile until you see him again."

Black Canary shook her head. "Why not? Why isn't he coming here anymore?"

Superman was about to speak, when an alarm rang through the Watchtower. J'onn J'onzz got to his feet and went over to a monitor. After a few moments, he turned back to the others. "We have a visitor."

Superman went over to him, and looked at the monitor. His eyes widened when he saw the figure flying through space, approaching the sattelite. "I don't believe it…"

"Shall I open the doors?" J'onn asked.

"Yes," said Superman. "We'll meet him in the hangerbay." He looked over at Lantern. "Kyle, can you come with us, please?"

Lantern stood up, looking puzzled. "Sure…"

J'onn looked at Superman. "Should I get Shayera?"

The Man of Steel was silent, then replied, "No. We'll see what he wants, first. It might only hurt her."

The Martian nodded, then the three of them went to the exit. "If you'll excuse us," Superman called to the others, "we'll be back in a moment. Oliver, if you could take over…"

As Arrow went to the head of the table, Superman, Lantern and J'onn walked out the room and went down the corridor. After a few minutes, they reached the hangerbay. "So what's going on?" Lantern asked.

"See for yourself," Superman said. The hangerbay doors opened, and Lantern created a bubble around them to protect them against the vacuum of space.

A similar bubble appeared from the distance, and flew quickly to the Watchtower. Opaque, the bubble slowed as it neared the doorway, and glided into the hangerbay. It landed on the floor, as the doors closed behind it.

Lantern removed his bubble, and they stared in silence.

The bubble faded away, and in its place was a figure.

Lantern's eyes widened. "Whoa…"

Superman held out his hand. "It's good to see you, John."

John Stewart looked at the hand, but made no effort to shake it. "I haven't got time for pleasantries."

The three Leaguers looked surprised.

John remained unfazed. "I need to see Shayera. Now."

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 3

Shayera Hol stared out of the kitchen window, her coffee long since gone cold. Her children were playing in their room, and she was happy that they could enjoy themselves.

Because she certainly could not.

Her life was a joke. She was approaching fifty, and she had two marriages behind her. One ending in divorce, the other in death. And now, she was a single mother, without a real home… just a room on a satellite miles above the Earth.

She had tried to restart her life. She had applied for benefits on Thanagar, but had been turned down. Turns out the Thanagarian government was not too thrilled to learn that she had spent many years with offworlders. And when they learned that both her and Kator had served with the League for a time… they were not happy. Over the years, social unrest had grown on the planet, and they considered any association with other races to be unpatriotic. And the fact that she had two half-Human children… her government had all but kicked her off the planet.

But the League had always been there for her. Though she had not served with them for many years, they still welcomed her back, when her own people turned her away. And she needed to be around people… she needed friends… because she had very little will to live.

She loved her children, truly she did. But she still felt empty. She wanted companionship. She wanted to be close with someone, as she once was. She wanted to feel needed, to feel wanted, to feel loved.

There had been three men in her life, and all of them had been hurt by her. John was angry when she began spending more time on her homeworld, and the time apart had broken their relationship. Though they divorced on good terms, there was an uneasiness whenever they were together since, that never left.

The Flash… poor Flash. Shayera groaned as she remembered Wally. He had been hurt the most… and though it was not her fault, she had not helped matters. He was in love with her, totally and completely. And she cared about him, but… not in that way. He never got over her… not really. Though he himself had married and fathered a daughter… he still wanted her. And though she knew it, she did not do anything about it. She remembers how she would talk about her marriages, and her children, RIGHT INFRONT of him. It must have been killing him… and in the end, it did.

Oh, true, he had sacrificed himself to save New York. But she knew… he did not really have the will to live anymore. Seeing her with other men… in the end, he could not take anymore. Perhaps under other circumstances, they could have been something… but she would never know. He was gone. And she missed him more than she could say.

And now… Kator. He had died in action… but he had already left her. He blamed her for the resentment he received when he returned to the Thanagarian forces… said she was ruining his career. When he was killed… she almost thought, like Flash, he wanted to die.

She hurt every man she cared about. And now… she was alone.

She heard footsteps down the corridor, and looked at the door. Two figures entered the room.

She froze. She could not believe her eyes.

John looked back at her. "Hi," he said softly.

Shayera stared at him. "H…hi…" she stammered.

Superman looked back and forth at them, visibly uncomfortable. "I'll… leave you two alone." With that, he left the room.

There was silence. Shayera did not know what to say. The man she loved was standing feet away from her… she had not seen him for nearly ten years… and he only looked slightly older than he did.

"How… are…" she began.

"I need you," he interrupted.

She blinked. "What?"

He went closer to her. "I need you to come with me to Oa. There's a trial going on… involving Kator's brother."

"Kator's… brother…?" Shayera was completely confused. She did not even know Kator HAD a brother…

"He wants a share of Kator's possessions, namely a device he was working on," John said. "But Kator was making it for the Corps, so they claim ownership."

Shayera held her head. "What… I… why do you need me?"

"We need you to testify that this man isn't Kator's brother," said John.

Shayera could not believe what she was hearing. Kator had a BROTHER? And… John was BACK?

"Shayera…" John said quietly, "We have to leave. Now."

Shayera looked at him. She thought about what to do. She would not be much help… she was hardly in the best frame of mind to help anyone…

But… she could not turn her back, when Kator needed her. "OK."

/

Bruce lay in the bed, the moon shining through the window, illuminating the room.

A lot had happened in such a short time. In the space of twenty-four hours… his life had been turned upside down.

He had told his children of his decision. That he had quit being the Batman. They were shocked, to say the least. Angry. Especially Thomas. He idolised his father, wanted to be as good as him… and now… he had nothing to strive for. At least, that was what the boy thought.

However, they had a surprise for him too. Clark had given up the Nightwing identity. He could not blame him, to be honest… he knew he never felt as good as him, or his siblings. But in a way, Bruce was glad. At least he would not have to convince CLARK to retire.

He dreaded the next few days… weeks… months even. Thomas, Faith, Grace… they all loved being crimefighters. And they were exceptionally good at it. But if he was quitting, they would as well. He would not have them risking their lives when he could not help them.

He heard a groan and rolled over to his side in the bed. Next to him, his wife lay there, holding her stomach. He sighed. This was a regular occurrence with all the pregnancies, but it was worse now. She was carrying twins… and as they very well knew, that was a tremendous strain for her.

"Diana…" he said softly, "are you alright?"

Diana sighed, as she took deep breaths. "Can't you go out?"

"You can't hide these pain attacks from me, anymore," Bruce said. "You have them every night, don't you?"

Diana was silent.

Bruce put his hand to her head, and stroked her hair gently. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep doing this to you…"

"Bruce," she said, "don't be stupid. I wouldn't change a thing… all the… pain… has been worth it… because I love you… and I love our family…"

"I'm going to be here for you," he said. "I'm never going to leave you again. It's time I was a real husband to you… I'm going to be with you every step of the way."

Diana was about to speak, when she winced. She held her stomach tightly, and gasped. Bruce leaned closer, his heart aching. It was like this every time… it had gotten easier over time… but it was still painful… and now that she was expecting twins again…

He took her hand in his, and held it close to his face. She gritted her teeth as the pain attack increased, and she let out a whine. "Aaaah…"

He waited a few moments, until her expression relaxed. "Do you want me to get you anything?" he asked.

"No…" she whispered. "Just get some rest. You need… iiiit…" She sighed as she closed her eyes, her body trembling.

"I'll get plenty of rest now," he said. "I'm going to be here for you. No more costumes… no more fights… you're the most important thing to me…"

"Please…" she breathed. "Get some sleep… you need to regain your strength…"

"Not until you regain yours…" he said.

Tears trickled down her face, and she leaned as much as she could to him. He mirrored the move, his back aching as he moved forward. He winced slightly, but ignored it, putting his arm on her shoulder as she rested her head on his chest. "Look at us…" she whimpered. "We're both wrecks… we both need to comfort eachother…"

Bruce smiled, and kissed her hair. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

/

"You're quitting?"

Robin sighed. "No. I'm being made redundant."

The Titans looked at him in disbelief. Supergirl leaned closer. "But… why?"

"Dad's retiring," Robin said. "And we're being made redundant. He won't let us continue without him…"

"But what's it got to do with him?" Superboy said. "You've been heroes for years… it's your decision to make."

"We have to respect Dad's wishes," Wonder Girl said. "Like it or not, the Bat Family are no more."

"And Clark's definitely given it up?" Hawkgirl asked.

Robin nodded. "That's unrelated. He decided that before Dad told us."

Megan West sat up from her chair and went over to the Boy Wonder. "So… this'll be the last time we see you…?" Her tone was bordering on pleading.

Robin frowned. "No… of course not. We're still friends. It's just that… it'll be the last time you see us in these costumes."

Megan put her hand to his, and traced the side of his hand. "Does that mean… WE can still see eachother…?"

Robin blushed. He liked Megan… more than anyone knew… but she was too young for her. Maybe in a few years… but now… "Er… yeah…" he stammered.

Superboy got to his feet. "This is bogus, man. You've been doing the biz for years, and now, just 'cos your dad tells you to, you're quitting? I thought you'd gotten a clue over the years, Tom."

Robin looked at him. "What do you mean?" he asked, knowing full well the Boy of Steel's point.

"You always do what your dad tells you to do," Superboy said. "He says, 'Fly', you say, 'How high?'. But I thought the years of leading the Titans had made you your own man… obviously not."

Robin went upto him. "My Dad doesn't control me, Joel. But just because you try and be everything YOUR dad isn't, doesn't mean we have to be everything OUR Dad isn't."

"At least I try and be my own man," Superboy said. "I love my Dad to death, but if I don't agree with something, I say so. And he respects that. He lets me do my own thing, and isn't a total control freak…"

Robin's anger rose. Most of the time, they got on, but Joel could really wind him up sometimes. "Why don't you go eat a Kryptonite sandwich, you arrogant…"

"Stop it!" Wonder Girl interrupted. "This isn't helping. Like it or not, we've left the Titans."

"Well, I'm glad," Megan said.

Everyone looked at her.

"This whole thing's silly," she said. "You're all still kids, if you ask me."

"You're not going to start your superhero-bashing again, are you?" Hawkgirl grumbled.

"I have better things to do with my time than play dress-up," Megan said.

"You only say that 'cos your dad died," Hawkgirl said.

Megan scowled. "You're darn right I do. This stupid stuff killed him… not that I'm sorry…"

"Oh, so now you're going to go to your father-bashing?" Hawkgirl spat. "And end with my Mom?"

"Don't mention that tramp to me!" shouted Megan. "She played with Dad for years, and as a result, he ignored Mom! She was the one he wanted, but she kept teasing him, kept shoving YOU and her husbands into his face!"

"Don't blame us for your dad not making a move!" Hawkgirl yelled. "Mom was just trying to get on with her life! It was your dad who never got over it!"

The rest of the Titans moaned. It was like this everytime Megan and Shayera's children were in the same room together…

"Yeah, it just goes to show how much your mom messed him up! He ignored me, he ignored Mom… all the time he was with us… and he wanted HER!"

"Why do you even come here?" Hawkgirl shouted. "You hate it around here!"

"Well, I won't be coming here anymore!" Megan yelled. "As far as I'm concerned, you can all stuff it! This is a pathetic life to lead, and I'm GLAD it killed Dad! 'Cos he NEVER loved Mom… all he wanted was YOUR TRAMP OF A MOM! AND I'M GLAD SHE'S ALONE AND MISERABLE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT SHE DERSERVES!" With that, Megan turned around and ran out of the room, in floods of tears.

Everyone was silent, and looked at Hawkgirl. She had tears pouring down her face herself, and she was trembling. "One day, I'll kill that little…"

"I think enough has happened for today," Robin interrupted. "I'm going. If I stay here anymore, I think I'm going to be sick." He turned around and walked off, mumbling under his breath.

Wonder Girl looked at the others. "I… guess I better go as well. We'll… see you around."

As Wonder Girl walked away, the other Titans looked at eachother. Hawkgirl was sitting down, her head in her hands, as Supergirl sat next to her, her arm over her shoulder.

Superboy sighed. "At least things can't get any worse…"

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 4

John stood in silence, his arm extended out infront of him. His ring was maintaining the protective bubble around him and his passenger, as they travelled through space.

He darted his eyes behind him, and caught a glimpse of the woman sitting a couple of feet away. She was holding her knees to her chest, and looking at her feet. She looked so sad, so lonely…

John looked back infront of him. He had to remain professional.

But… she was his ex-wife…

The last few years had been hard… he had been so alone. He had cut all ties to his home, and gone forth into the galaxy. He never even saw his children anymore… he doubted they would even know who he was now.

But… it had to be that way. He had a duty as a Green Lantern. And Shayera had moved on…

And hit a dead end.

He sighed. It was not fair. Shayera was the most wonderful, most amazing woman he had ever met… and to see her so alone, so distressed… it made his heart ache. All that kept her alive were the children; without them, she had no will to live. She had lost everyone close to her.

She would not want to try… no… surely not…

John looked down. He still cared about her, that much he knew. In truth… he never stopped loving her. But… it was circumstances that drove them apart… his duties as a galactic guardian… and her joy at returning to her homeworld…

He had lost her. At the time, he was fine… after all, SHE was the one who had been unfaithful… but now… to see her in her current state… he no longer felt angry. He felt immense sorrow for her. She had lost so much…

They had both lost so much…

He looked at her, and took a deep breath. "How… are things?" he asked, knowing the stupidity of the question.

Shayera looked up at him, and gave a small nod. "Fine," she said. "Tarran's in college… John Jr.'s nearly finished school… and I'm… doing OK."

"Do you think Green Arrow and Black Canary will be able to look after them?" John said.

"Tarran can take care of herself," Shayera said. "John won't be any trouble. He's a very sensible boy… like his father."

John tensed, and there was an awkward silence. "What about Fel?" he eventually said.

"He's fine," she said. "His wings are starting to grow…"

There was silence again, as both looked away from eachother. John felt uncomfortable. He did not know what to say? What DO you say to someone you love and… to someone you USED to love and cherish?

"We'll… be arriving on Oa in an hour or so," he said. "I suggest you get some sleep."

Shayera's shoulders sunk. "Oh… OK…"

John sighed. He felt terrible for shutting her out like that, but if he talked to her anymore… he might lose his composure…

He had to remain professional…

/

Grace and Clark stood in the middle of the cavern, looking at the various things around them. It would be for the last time.

Their Mom and Dad had gone out. They wanted to be alone… just spend some time together.

Thomas and Faith were on their way back from the Watchtower. From what they told their siblings on the Batwing radio link, things had hardly gone well.

Jason was in bed.

So they had taken the time to take one last look at the cave… because they would not go down there again.

The Batman was no more.

Clark sighed. "Kinda depressing, isn't it?"

Grace frowned. "What have you got to be depressed about? You already quit."

"Yeah, but I'm still gonna miss this place," Clark said. "This has been our second home."

"I just can't believe Dad's making us quit…" Grace said, looking at the ground. "It's so unfair."

"If it makes you feel any better," said Clark, "I think you'd have done great on your own."

Grace smiled softly. "Thanks. Shame we'll never find out."

"Oh, I don't know," a voice said. "We can find out right now."

Grace and Clark darted their heads at the direction of the voice.

A figure emerged from the shadows.

The teenagers' eyes widened.

A brunette looked back at them. "Remember me?"

Grace and Faith were dumbfounded. "Talia…?" Grace stammered.

"You DO remember," Talia said. "I thought you'd be too young…"

Clark leaned closer to his sister. "Who is this chick?"

"Talia Al Ghul…" Grace growled. "Some psycho who won't get it into her thick head that Dad doesn't want her…"

"Oh, now I remember," said Clark.

"How did you get in here?" Grace said. "And aren't you supposed to be older?"

Talia folded her arms. "There'll be time for answers later," she said. "Now… where's that tramp of a mother of yours?"

Clark clenched his fists. "You DARE talk about her like that?" He leapt into the air, and shot towards Talia…

However, Talia simply threw her arm out, and slapped Clark in the face. He went flying backwards, crashing onto the floor several yards away.

Grace ran upto her brother, and knelt down to help him up. "How…? She… she was never that strong…"

"Things change," Talia said. "Want to try your shot, little girl?"

Grace rose to her feet. "What do you want?"

"I'd prefer to talk to your parents," Talia said. "Do you know when they'll be home?"

Grace ran upto her. "By the time they get back, you'll be long gone, you crazy…"

Suddenly, Talia shot out her arm, and a whip flew out, wrapping itself around Grace's arm. Talia then swung around, and Grace went flying into the rock wall, creating a crater on impact. She slumped to the ground, trying to catch her breath.

"So much for your Amazon genes," Talia said. She went upto Grace, and stood over her.

However, Grace suddenly shot to her feet, and punched Talia hard in the face. She went flying back, crashing into the side of the costume chamber. As she rested on her hands on knees, trying to regain her senses, Grace flew towards her.

Talia looked out of the corner of her eye, and saw Clark also coming towards her at top speed…

Suddenly, she flipped up, and somersaulted backwards, clearing the top of the costume chamber and landing on the other side. She then pushed the steel chamber forwards, right as the siblings neared her…

Clark and Grace crashed into the chamber, denting it on both sides. They landed on the ground in a heap.

Talia put her hands on her hips. "You're pathetic…"

Grace and Clark slowly got to their feet, blood dripping from their mouths. "I don't know how you got so strong…" Grace said, "but you're not going to hurt Mom and Dad…"

"I don't want to hurt your father," said Talia. "I just want to kill your mother slowly and painfully…"

"You'll have to go through us first…" Clark said.

"If you insist," Talia said. She held out her arms, and wiggled her fingers. "Come and get me."

The teenagers charged at her, and a two-on-one fight commenced. They tried everything they knew… all the styles her father had taught them, all the strength they had inherited from their mother… but Talia blocked every attack, and kept striking them down. After five minutes, the siblings were lying on the ground, weak gasping for breath.

"If you've finished," Talia said. "I think I'll just go wait for your folks now…"

Grace and Clark slowly got to their feet. "Not a… chance…" Grace mumbled. They then charged at her again, fists clenched.

Talia leapt into the air, spinning her body. She threw her leg back, and hit the two hard in the face with a high kick.

The teenagers fell to the ground, unconscious.

Talia sighed. "Kids." She then turned around, and went towards the stairs…

/

Bruce opened the front door, and held it. "After you," he said.

Diana giggled. "Thank you, sir." She entered the house, and Bruce followed her inside. As he closed the door, Diana stayed close to him. When he turned around, she was inches from him. "Nice walk," she said.

Bruce smiled, but it quickly fell. "Are you sure it wasn't too much for you? We didn't have to go all the way to the far bench…"

"Darling," she said, "I was more worried about you. Are you sure you're alright? I don't want you pushing yourself too much…"

"It was just a mild attack…" he said. He stopped when he saw Diana look down, a pained expression on her face. "What's wrong? Another attack?"

"No…" Diana said quietly. "It's just… I can't believe how calm you are about this. You had a heart attack… you nearly died. You should be taking it easy…"

"YOU should be taking it easy," he said, stroking her cheek. "And anyway, maybe that attack was a blessing in disguise. It showed me where I'm really needed." He leaned close and softly kissed her lips. "Now let's get you sitting down…"

"In a minute," she whispered, and wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. She sighed in contentment. "Do you think the kids will be long in the cave?"

Bruce frowned. "Why?"

Diana tilted her head. "I was wondering if we could watch some TV, and… you know… cuddle."

Bruce smiled. "Marry me."

Diana smiled, in a confused why. "Darling, we're already married."

"Then marry me again," Bruce said.

Diana giggled.

"And again… and again…" He leaned close again, and they kissed passionately. Their embrace tightened, neither wanting to let the other go.

Eventually, their lips separated. "So… you want to go cuddle?" Diana asked with a grin on her face.

Bruce was about to speak, when his face fell. He looked past Diana, at the grandfather clock.

It was ajar.

"What is it?" Diana asked, her happy expression turning to concern.

"The children know not to leave the entrance to the cave open…" Bruce said. "Something…"

Suddenly, there was a small whizzing noise, and a dart shot into Bruce's shoulder. He clenched his jaw, and saw the arrow in his arm.

His legs then began to buckle, and he began to fall to his knees.

Diana held him as he fell, shocked as she tried to keep him upright. "Bruce! Bruce… what…?"

Bruce looked at her, his eyes rolling up into his head. "Dart… poison…"

Diana looked at the dart, and her worry grew. "Bruce, are you alright? What did it do…?"

There was no answer.

She held him in his arms, as tears poured down her face. He was unconscious, unmoving. "Darling… please… talk to me…"

"He'll be fine," a voice said.

Diana looked up and saw a figure with a pistol in the lounge doorway.

"You on the other hand," Talia said, "are in deep trouble."

TO BE CONTINUED


	5. Chapter 5

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 5

"DAD!"

Bruce heard the sharp voice cut through his head, and weakly opened his eyes.

As his vision focused, he realised he was lying on the floor, just by the front door of the Manor. Infront of him was the grandfather clock… and a figure was in the entranceway.

Thomas rushed upto his father, and knelt down. "Dad, are you OK?"

Bruce closed his eyes, and took a moment to clear his head. As he clumsily pushed himself to a seating position, he remembered what had happened. Thomas held him steady as he breathed slowly. "Diana…" he said. "Where is she…?"

"I don't know," Thomas said. "Grace and Clark said Talia had gotten into the cave. Dad, they look a mess."

Bruce looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"The cave is in a shambles," his son said slowly. "Grace and Clark… are in bad shape. They said Talia fought them… but how can that be? She's not a meta… and they said she hadn't aged a day…"

Bruce held his head. It did not take his deductive mind long to realise what had happened. "She must have… done something to herself. The Lazarus Pit maybe… but that doesn't explain the strength…"

"Dad… where's Mom?"

Bruce's eyes widened. "Diana…" He looked around, and saw a small puddle of blood where she was standing before. "No…"

Thomas looked at the grandfather clock. "I'll go find her. Faith is seeing to Grace and Clark. I'll get her to check you over… get this dart out…" He began to rise to his feet.

"Wait," Bruce said, holding his arm. "If she's stronger… you'll need help. Call the League."

"OK," Thomas said. "But if she's hurt Mom, no one will stop me from…"

"Your mother has a tracer in her pocket," Bruce said. "You'll be able to track it, within a three mile radius…"

Thomas frowned. "Three miles? But our tracers only go as far as two…"

Bruce reached into his pocket, and pulled out a card. He held it out weakly to his son. "Go down to the cave… and go to the workshop… swipe this through the lock…"

"We don't have time…"

"Go," Bruce interrupted. "Now."

Thomas took a deep breath, and took the card. He looked at his father, who nodded at him. He then got to his feet, and ran to the grandfather clock, disappearing through the entranceway.

Bruce raised his arm, and pulled himself upto his feet, using a small plant stand as leverage.

The wife had been kidnapped. And he could not save her. He had to leave it to his friends and family.

And as much as he knew they could manage without him, the thought of not being able to save the woman he loved personally was more painful than he could say…

/

Thomas glided down the spiral staircase, and landed at the bottom, then ran upto his siblings.

Faith looked up from bandaging Clark's shoulder. "What happened? What's going on?"

Thomas went past her, and headed towards the workshop. "She's taken Mom."

Grace put her hand to her mouth. "Where? And where's Dad?"

"Dad's upstairs," Thomas said. "He's pretty weak. Faith, you'll have to check to see if he's OK. And go check on Jason, see if he's still in bed."

Faith frowned. "Where are you going?"

Thomas moved some debris of the costume chamber out of the way and opened the door to the workshop. "Dad says Mom's got a tracer on her. I'm going to find her."

Clark got to his feet. "Why are you going in there?"

Thomas went into the room, and went over to the lock on the wall. He put the card upto it and sighed. "Dad said she's got a tracer that can cover a three-mile radius. For some reason, he wants me to swipe this card through here. I'm guessing it's some kind of device that boosts the tracer signal."

Faith, Grace and Clark stood behind him as he swiped the card through the lock. There was a beeping sound, and a green light came on. They heard a noise, and turned around to see the far wall slide open.

Grace's eyes were wide. "I didn't know it could do that."

Thomas ignored his siblings wonderment and strode over to the opening. When he reached it, he looked inside. Then, his own eyes widened. "Oh boy…"

Clark frowned. "What is it?"

Thomas looked at them. "I can't believe this… why didn't he tell us?"

Faith went upto him, and looked inside the opening. She blinked. "Great Hera…"

Grace looked at Thomas. "What are you going to do?"

"There's only one thing I can do," Thomas said. He took a deep breath, and looked at the object in the secret opening. "Tally ho…"

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks for a great 2015, and hope you like my stuff in '16 - I've got lots coming up.


	6. Chapter 6

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 6

The door opened wide, and a figure stumbled into the room, holding its stomach. As it clumsily went further into the room, a second figure followed close behind, and closed the door once it also entered the room. It then raised its hand and flicked on the lightswitch.

Shayera turned around, trying to catch her breath. "Oh boy… I can't believe how that happened!"

John smiled at her. "Yeah. He was a bit of a fool, wasn't he?"

Shayera wiped the tears from her eyes. "I mean… how did he think he'd get away with it? Just because he met Kator once doesn't mean you can pretend you're his brother! I mean… the reasons he came up with! The drivel he was saying. I could hardly keep a straight face!"

"Guess he underestimated the Oa justice system," John said.

Shayera began to laugh again, and held her sides. "I mean… that must've been the funniest thing I've seen in ages! I don't think I've laughed this much since Batman went to get a batarang from his belt and pulled out a baby rattle!"

John's smile widened, but remained silent. Shayera's face fell. "What's wrong?"

John looked at her, but quickly looked away. "Nothing. So… you're alright then?"

Shayera frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You know," John said. "The trial… it wasn't too stressful. I mean, I can go and leave you if you want. Let you get some rest before I take you home tomorrow."

"No," she said, smiling. "It was the most fun I've had in ages."

John looked at her. "Really?"

"Yeah," she said. "In fact… I haven't had much fun in ages."

John went upto her. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true." Shayera sat on the foot of the bed, and sighed. "To be honest… my life's been pretty empty lately."

John looked down. "I'm sorry. I know you must miss Kator."

"It's not just that…" Shayera said quietly. "The last few months… weren't good. We were fighting quite a lot. We tried to pretend everything was OK, tried to pretend everything was normal infront of the kids… but we couldn't do it. When he died… we had already separated."

John was quiet, and moved his hand to her shoulder. However, she looked at his hand, and he quickly withdrew it. "I'm sorry," he said. "But… things must be OK now, surely?"

"Kinda," she mumbled. "The kids are doing great, and the League have been really supportive… but I've been so alone. I…" Her voice trailed, and a tear poured down her face.

John's face went pained, and he sat down next to her. "Look.." he said. "I know things haven't gone the way you planned… but it'll get better…"

"When?" she cried. "I'm 47 years old, I have three children and I've been married twice! I've run out of time."

John sighed. "That's silly. Who wouldn't want you?"

"You didn't…"

John darted his head at her. "That's not true! I never stopped lo…" He suddenly went silent, and looked away.

Shayera looked up. "What?"

John looked at her out of the corner of his eyes, then looked at the floor. "Nothing."

"Look," she said. "I'm sorry. You know, about everything. We never really talked after… well, you know…"

"Yeah," he said. "It was my fault too. I mean, I was away a lot of the time… treated you and the kids with disregard…"

"No you didn't…" she said. "It was my fault. I should have waited…"

John looked at her. "What do you mean, 'should have'…?"

Shayera blushed. "Nothing."

There was silence, neither knowing what to say. John looked at the door of the Oa hotel room. "Well," he said, "I better go."

Shayera's shoulders sunk. "Oh. Busy?"

"No," he said. "But… I'm sure you want to be alone."

"Well, if you don't have to go," she said, "we can talk some more."

John was silent. "It… HAS been awhile since I've seen you…"

"So… what about you?" she asked. "Met anyone?"

John smiled slightly. "No… you were kind of a tough act to follow…"

Shayera smiled. "You've aged well," she said.

"So have you."

Shayera looked away. "Oh please… I'm old. I can barely fly a mile now without getting tired. And none of the new Leaguers have hit on me…"

"They're crazy," he said. He looked away, and his face fell. He stared at the ground. "I never should have let you go," he whispered.

She blinked. "What?"

"It's the biggest mistake I've ever done," he continued, still looking at the ground. "I was an idiot."

"John…" she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "It was my fault. I shouldn't have made you choose…"

"No," he said. "I should have made the right choice."

Shayera looked dumbfounded. "What are you saying…?"

He looked at her, and took a deep breath. He then leaned closer, and delicately brushed his lips against hers. He pressed harder ever so slightly, then backed away.

She stared at him, eyes wide. "What… did you do that for…?"

"I'm… sorry…" he breathed. "I shouldn't have… I… I should go." He went to stand up, but felt something pull against his arm.

He looked down to see Shayera's hand on his.

He looked up at her, and she smiled sweetly.

They leaned closer together, and their lips met again. He stroked her cheek, and the kiss intensified, Shayera moaning in pleasure.

They lowered themselves to the mattress…

/

Diana hit the ground hard, her head smacking off the concrete. She took slow breaths, spitting the blood from her mouth.

She groaned, as her stomach began to ache. She held it tightly… the pain was increasing… but there was nothing she could do.

She looked up, as Talia stood over her. "Are we in a bit of pain?" she mocked.

Diana closed her eyes as the pain intensified. "Why… are you doing… this…?"

"You're not very bright, are you?" Talia said. "You know why. You stole my Beloved."

"He was never yours," Diana gasped. "You had your chance, and you blew it…"

"SHUT UP!" Talia leaned down and grabbed Diana by the throat, and pulled her up. Diana could not fight back. Her pregnancy had drained a lot of her strength, and the pain she was now in only made her weaker. "He should have been mine! You stole him, and now I'm going to kill you, nice and slow…"

Diana's eyes began to water. She was not worried for herself; she was always prepared to die in action. But not now… not with her unborn children…

"Beg, you tramp!" Talia yelled. "Beg me to spare your life! Beg me to leave you alone, and just go with my Beloved…"

"He'll never go with you…" Diana said, still spitting blood from her mouth.

"Oh, he will," Talia said. "Once you're out of the way, he'll see that I'm the one he loves! We'll be together, for all eternity. Now BEG!"

Diana strained to breathe, as Talia tightened her grip on her throat. "Why don't you go straight to…"

"SHUT UP!" Talia interrupted, punching Diana hard in her face. Diana gasped for air, as blood began to flow from her nose. The pain in her stomach continued to get worse.

"If you're not going to beg for yourself," said Talia, "maybe you'll beg for your babies…" A smile formed on her face.

Diana's eyes widened. "No… please…"

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Talia lifted Diana higher, then threw her down hard back to the ground. Diana screamed as she hit the concrete, and her stomach began to sting. Tears poured down her face. She would not be able to take much more…

"I guess you're wondering how I got so strong," Talia said. "Or maybe not. I just want to brag about how and why I'm going to kill you."

Diana tried to crawl away, but there was no escape from the abandoned warehouse they were in.

"You see, my father has access to the Lazarus Pit," Talia continued. "My Beloved might have mentioned it. It gives a person eternal life, hence why I am as young and vital now as I was when I met him. Also, I have taken serums and undergone genetic modification to enhance my strength. Now, I know this is probably all beyond you, as you're just a stupid little tramp, but I like to show how much better I am than you."

Diana crawled along the ground, blood dripping from her nose and mouth. Her vision went blurry… her breathing became ragged… it became harder to pull her body along the floor…

Talia lifted her foot up, and slammed it down on Diana's head, smashing it through the ground.

Diana laid there, her head in the small crater. Her strength was gone… she was barely conscious…

Talia pulled her up by her hair, and spun her around. She then put her hands back around her throat, and began to squeeze. Diana's put her hands up to try and pull Talia's away, but as Talia squeezed tighter, her strength left her and her arms slumped to her sides. She began to choke as her windpipe was slowly being crushed…

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Talia looked up.

A figure smashed through the skylight, wings flowing behind it.

The figure flew down, and kicked Talia away hard as it landed.

Talia flew backwards, landing in a heap on the ground.

Diana slumped to the ground, coughing and choking as she tried to get the air back into her body.

The figure looked at her, then turned and faced Talia.

Talia got to her feet, and frowned. "Who…?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Get away from my mother."

TO BE CONTINUED


	7. Chapter 7

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 7

Batman spread himself wider, trying to put as much of himself infront of his mother, who was bleeding heavily on the ground behind him.

Talia stood several yards away, her mouth cut. "You're not my Beloved… who are you?"

Batman looked over his shoulder, and saw his mother looking up weakly at him. Blood was flowing from her nose and mouth, and her neck was red from being squeezed. He looked back at Talia. "Your worst nightmare."

He then leapt forwards, and flew towards Talia at top speed. He crashed into her, sending them both backwards into the brick wall. The wall broke apart on the impact, and they both collapsed on the floor, bricks falling ontop of them.

Batman threw his arms back, sending the bricks off his body. He then got to his feet, and grabbed Talia by the throat. "My family… has had ENOUGH of you… you psychotic…"

Suddenly, Talia headbutted Batman, and with her enhanced skeleton, it surprised him how painful the impact was. He held his head, as Talia threw his arm off her, then punched him in the face. She followed it up with a fist into the stomach, knocking the wind out of his body.

She grabbed his throat, and swung backwards, sending him into the wall. His body created a crater, and he was stuck in the brickwork. Talia pulled her arm back. "Nothing will stop me from ripping your tramp of a mother's heart out…"

Batman gritted his teeth, then forced his hands free. He then threw them backwards again, and he hit the wall with all his strength. Talia looked up as the brickwork began to crumble…

The entire wall then collapsed, burying them both.

Diana looked up wearily at the mountain of rubble. "Thomas…?"

Slowly, the rubble began to shift. A hand emerged at the top, and Batman rose from the debris, holding his shoulder. Though he had his mother's strength and durability, he was not as invulnerable as her. He stepped out of the rubble, and took a deep breath. He then walked slowly towards her. "Mom… are you alright…?"

Diana was about to reply, when the debris began to shift again. She tried to call out, but all she could muster was a croaky moan. "Thomas… behind…"

Suddenly, the rubble burst apart, and Talia emerged from the remains. She quickly grabbed a large chuck of wall, and threw it towards Batman. He barely had time to turn around, before it hit him hard in the chest.

He flew backwards, missing Diana by inches. He hit the other wall hard, and slumped to the ground. Talia stepped out of the rubble and removed a pistol from her hip. "Thought you'd try and be a hero and save mommy, eh? I can't wait to get my Beloved away from you meaningless, pathetic people… In fact, once I've dealt with you two, I'll go back to that cave of yours and kill those other brats."

Diana tried to crawl forwards, but she slumped to the ground in a puddle of blood. "No…"

Talia lifted her pistol. "Say goodbye…"

Batman raised his arm. "Goodbye…" He then clenched his fist, and a dart emerged from his wrist. It shot out, and headed forwards, spreading outwards as it travelled.

Upon opening, the batarang speared the nozzle of Talia's gun, just as she pulled the trigger…

The pistol exploded in a ball of fire.

Talia screamed in agony. "AAAARGGH!" She held her arm close to her, as the remains of the pistol fell to the floor.

She looked at the end of her arm, and saw nothing but blood…

She looked down, and saw a charred ball on the ground…

"My hand…" she whispered. "What have you done…?"

Batman got to his feet, and went towards her.

Talia looked at him, trembling. "I'll… KILL YOU…"

"You'll have to go through us, first."

Batman, Diana and Talia turned their heads at the sound of the voice.

Superman stood at the warehouse doorway, the entire Justice League and Titans behind him. "Which I guarantee… won't be easy."

/

Talia darted her head between the three people near her, and the large group of people at the warehouse doorway.

Superman stepped forward. "Give it up. There's no escape."

Talia smiled. "Isn't there…?" She then lowered her hand, and pressed a button on her belt.

Suddenly, the side wall exploded, and erupted in a ball of fire. The warehouse shook, and several of the heroes were knocked off their feet.

As the chaos calmed down, a second explosion hit, and a piece of the ceiling gave way. It began to topple to the ground, as the building shook again.

"She's wired the place!" Batman yelled. He then looked at his mother, who was lying almost motionless on the ground. He ran upto her. "Mom, are you OK? Talk to me!"

Diana slowly lifted her head, spitting blood from her mouth. "I can't… move…"

Superman rushed upto them. "I can see with my x-ray vision that nothing's broken. We can move her. Give her to me."

"No," Batman said. "I'll take her." He then delicately picked his mother up, and held her in his arms. She put her hand to his shoulder, but could not hold it there, and her arm slumped down.

Suddenly, a third explosion erupted, and another wall burst apart. "We have to get out of here!" Lantern shouted. "Everyone get near me – I'll create a bubble to protect us!"

Batman ran as fast as he dared to the group, as Superman stayed near him and Diana, protecting them from falling debris. Once they reached the others, Lantern raised his arm, and his ring lit up. Within seconds, a large bubble had formed around the heroes.

The bubble rose from the ground, and flew out of the quickly-widening hole in the roof. It hovered above the building, then glided a couple of hundred yards away. It settled on the ground, and Lantern dropped the creation.

The heroes watched as the warehouse collapsed in on itself, as it blew apart with a final explosion. The remains scattered the area, the block engulfed in flame.

Superman looked around. "We've got to find Talia. Kyle, take Tho… Batman and Diana back to the Watchtower. The rest of us will look for search the area."

"OK," Batman said. "But you won't find anything. When an Al Ghul vanishes… they vanish."

"We'll see," Superman said. "Go. We'll be there as soon as we can."

Batman nodded, as Lantern went upto him. "I'll make this as smooth as possible." He then created another bubble around himself, Batman and Diana, and the three of them slowly rose from the ground, and headed for the stars…

/

Diana lay in the medbed, breathing slowly. She had a plaster on her nose, a bandage around her head, and a brace on her neck. She had wires connected to her hand and stomach, and her condition was continually displayed on the monitor.

Bruce looked at his wife as he sat by her bedside. His heart was near breaking point. She had nearly died. He had nearly lost her.

She said she could not take the thought of losing him… the thought of losing her… he would NOT be able to take…

She sighed, and her throat croaked. Bruce leaned closer. "Shh…"

Diana smiled faintly. "I'm OK…" she gasped. "I look worse than I am…"

Bruce raised his hand, and lightly stroked her hair. "Let me be the judge of that." He looked down, barely able to compose himself. "My God, Diana… what did she do to you…?"

"J'onn said this is just… a precaution…" Diana said. "I shouldn't move too much… but I think the neckbrace is a bit much…"

"You're throat's badly bruised," said Bruce. "He doesn't want you moving your neck. It has to heal."

"My neck's the least of my worries," Diana said quietly. She slowly put her hand to her stomach. "Where's J'onn? He said he wouldn't be long with the results."

"He wants to make sure everything's OK," Bruce said.

A tear poured down Diana's face. "But… what if it isn't…? Bruce… I don't want to lose our babies…"

Bruce took her hand, and held it lovingly. "We won't… whatever happens, we won't lose them. I promise you that."

Diana closed her eyes. "I've never been so scared in my life… I thought I was going to die… I thought…" Her voice trailed, as the tears poured uncontrollably. She sobbed, but it hurt her throat, and she gagged as she tried to get air into her body.

Bruce leaned closer. "Diana… breathe slowly… take long, deep breaths…"

As Diana tried to slow her breathing, Superman and Thomas walked into the medbay. They both looked solemn. "How are you?" Thomas asked quietly.

Bruce sighed. "We're still waiting. Did you find her?"

Superman shook his head. "No… there was no trace of her. Thomas was right."

"He was right about a lot of things," Bruce said. "Thomas, later… we need to talk."

Thomas looked confused, but nodded slowly. "OK… Faith and the others are OK. Grace and Clark have a few bruises, but nothing major. And Jason's fine. He was sound asleep in his bed."

Bruce said nothing, just nodded slowly. He looked back at Diana, and held her hand closer to his chest. "I'm going to find her… her and her father… and I'm going to settle this once and for all…"

"One thing at a time," Superman said. "Shayera called. She's on her way back."

"How… did the trial go…?" Diana breathed.

"She didn't say, but…" Superman stopped as the door opened, and J'onn appeared.

Bruce looked at him. "J'onn… what are the results?"

J'onn looked pained. "Bruce… Diana… I'm so sorry…"

TO BE CONCLUDED


	8. Chapter 8

_DISCLAIMERS/NOTES_

 _1\. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun._

 _2\. As always, I'll point out_ _ **this was written over a decade ago** , when,_ _here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air. So Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy, and the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of_ Unlimited _wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, "The Savage Time". All my_ Wayback Wednesday _stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck._

 _3\. There are aspects of these stories that, in hindsight, I would change._ _However, I have kept them as I originally wrote them for history's sake. Not laziness._

* * *

PART 8

The door opened, and John and Shayera stepped out of the hangerbay. They stood in the corridor, unsure what to do next.

"Well," John said.

"Well," Shayera said.

John held the back of his neck. "I… suppose I better go. The Guardians will probably want me to do something."

Shayera's shoulders sunk. "Oh. OK."

John looked at her, and felt a pang of sorrow. "I…" He did not know what to say.

They had been together. As they used to be. And it was wonderful.

But… what did it mean?

"Will you be coming back?" Shayera asked quietly.

John sighed. He might as well ask what he wanted to know. "Do you want me to?"

Shayera looked down, and reached out. She took his hand in hers, and looked up at him. "Yes."

They looked at eachother, and leaned close. Their lips met, and they sunk into eachother. John put his arms behind her, and pushed her closer, while she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. The kiss deepened, and for a moment, it was how it used to be.

They tore their lips apart, and Shayera sighed. "I'm confused…"

John smiled softly. "Yeah… me too. I guess… we have some things to talk about."

"Soon?" she asked, looking at him hopefully. John stroked her cheek gently. All the years they had lost… all the years they had been apart… but he still loved her more than he could say.

"Maybe…" he whispered, "I don't have to go."

Shayera smiled, and moved closer to him. "I'd like that."

"Me too," he said. "So… shall we go see the others?"

"Yeah," Shayera said. "And then we can… talk."

He stroked her arms, not wanting to break the embrace.

And in a way, he never would.

As long as he lived… he would never let her go again.

/

Talia looked over at the doctor by her bedside. "How much longer are you going to be?"

"This is a difficult operation, My Lady," the doctor said. "It cannot be rushed."

Talia sighed, then saw the man walk into the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Do you care?" Talia spat.

"Of course," the man said, going upto her. "You're my daughter. I'm worried for your safety."

Talia tilted her head. "Then why didn't I get any help?"

The man smiled. "You're the one who wanted to do this alone. And look what happened. You were beaten."

"I wasn't beaten," Talia growled. "I was interrupted."

The man looked at the doctor. "Leave us."

The doctor looked confused, but got to his feet. "I will continue the operation at your bidding, Master." He then left the room, leaving the man and Talia alone.

"So… you going to discipline me?" Talia said.

The man pulled up a chair and sat by her bedside. "I want to make sure you're OK, first." He looked at the stump at the end of her arm. "Does it hurt?"

Talia raised it. "Not really. It was a clean slice. I've trained myself to ignore pain… as you know."

"So what do you plan to do now, then?" the man asked.

"I will recover," said Talia. "And I will finish my mission. I will kill that tramp and keep her heart as a prize… then my Beloved will come to me… where he belongs."

"I suggest you take time to plan fully," he said. "Perhaps bring the woman back here… where you can deal with her without interruption."

"Maybe," Talia said.

"Of course, I hope next time you do remember EVERY bit of your job," he said.

Talia remained silent.

"You didn't even THINK of bringing back the one I wanted, did you…?" the man asked slowly.

Talia said nothing.

The man sighed. "You and I are going to have to have a little talk…"

Talia frowned. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, he shot his arm out, and grabbed her by the throat. He leaned close to her, his face millimetres from hers. "Let's just say…" he whispered, "you're going to need all the pain-ignoring training you have…"

/

Thomas stared at the sleek black jumpsuit on the table. He sighed.

On the outside, it was exactly the same as his father's. Same design, same look, just in his size. But inside, it was much more.

The utility belt was four times as stocked as his father's. Batarangs were loaded in the forearms, and could be deployed at any time. It had a mobile tracing system installed, so it could be tracked and could track other tracers. That was how Thomas had found his mother.

Why did he not tell him? His father had obviously made this costume in the event of his retirement… it was literally made for Thomas. But if it was… why did he insist on he and his siblings retiring when he did?

Of course, there was another thing on his mind.

His mother had been hurt. She would recover, but she would be hurting for awhile.

And Talia had done the damage.

J'onn had discovered some… abnormalities with Diana's unborn children. What that meant, he could not say… but one thing was certain.

Either physically or mentally… the twins would be disabled.

Thomas groaned. How could this have happened? Why would Talia… why could she not let his father go?

He had barely been able to control himself during their encounter. He wanted to pound her face into the ground… he was tired of her and her father harassing his family. But of course, he had also barely survived. He had underestimated her skills, and her enhanced strength and stamina made her even more deadly.

Thomas heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see his father at the bottom of the stairs. "Hi," he said.

Bruce went upto him. "Hi."

"How's Mom?" Thomas asked, knowing how stupid the question was.

"She's still in bed," Bruce said. "J'onn's let her take the neckbrace off, but her throat's still sore. And… she's in a lot of pain."

Thomas held the back of his head. "I should have gotten her out of there… instead of getting my butt kicked by that psycho. But I was so angry…"

"I know," said Bruce.

"It's a good job we're all retiring," Thomas said. "I didn't know I could get that angry. I don't know if I could control myself if the situation happened again."

"I'm sure you will."

Thomas frowned. "'Will'…?"

Bruce sighed. "I was wrong to ignore my responsibilities. In giving up Batman, I let myself get careless… and your mother nearly died."

"What are you saying?" Thomas asked, confused. "You're not going to become Batman again, are you…?"

"No," said Bruce. "I'm in no state to do that anymore. I'd only get others in danger." He looked at the costume. "But Gotham needs a Batman."

Thomas followed his gaze, and realisation hit him.

There was silence.

Thomas looked at his father. "Are you sure?"

Bruce smiled. "I couldn't think of a better person to wear the mask."

Thomas looked at the ground, and took a deep breath. "What about Faith and the others?"

Bruce sighed. "That'll be for them to decide. You're all adults. I trust your judgement. I always have."

Thomas looked at his father, and smiled. "Thank you. I… we… won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Bruce said. "So when do you want to start?"

Thomas looked at the costume, then turned back to his father. "Tonight's a good night."

THE END


End file.
